Sometimes I just love climbing

It was just Sister Matt and me at the cave today.

I love a crowd at the crag but it's different when you have the place to yourselves.We have a shot at climbs we don't usually do. Dogging aroundon hard stuff and then suddenly pulling off a surprise lap on the project.

Storms o'er the cane feilds. Water falling in the wind off the lip of the cave.

Bits of chat. Other bits of nothing much. Weekday climbing always feels a bit like wagging school.

The "Fendi Abici Bike" in Vogue Magazine

A friend sent me this great scan from the June issue of American Vogue:



"Girls, go tell the groom that we've found the gift of all gifts to give his bride on the big day. (He does know that one's in order, right?) The Abici Amante Donna city bike now comes fitted with Fendi's luxest Selleria leather accessories. Seat, handles, thermos case, and GPS holder are all cut and sewn by hand. In front, the fully outfitted picnic basket -- which, you might tell him, doubles as a beauty case -- bears the house's signature stamp. There's also a splash catcher (he'll know this isn't its technical name, but "mudguard" is so unsexy) on the back wheel. The course of true love never ran more smoothly!"



The price of the Fendi Abici is $5,900 and the detachable travel case on the front rack is $975 extra.







This is a gorgeous bicycle and a lovely wedding gift, but is the Fendi version worth six times the price of the standard Abici Amante Donna? I guess that is a matter of personal choice and depends on how much you like Fendi. Personally, I'd rather keep the Brooks saddle. The travel case is rather nice though (any idea on the weight?).



[image from abici-italia.it]

Pictured above is the standard Abici Amante Donna in cream with original saddle and handles, and without dress guard, racks or thermos holder. I believe the cost is about $1,000 MSRP. Not being a fan of the rod brakes, I prefer Abici's Granturismo model. Still, the Amante is quite beautiful, and I think that Fendi had the right idea to add some dark warm contrasts to all that white.

Dinner's at Cody's Original Roadhouse

Tonight we got together to take advantage of Fajita night at Cody's Original Roadhouse. We planned to go last week with Tim and Marlene and cancelled when we learned there was a big event there. It worked out well for us because this week Buddy and Diane were back in our area, so they got to come join us!



The food was just as good as last time and we enjoyed the company too! We don't have a whole lot more weeks to do dinner here so we are enjoying the last few times we have.

Bike and Cat Gallery!

We have two cats, and they both love to sniff and investigate our bicycles. After a reader sent me a photo of his own cat examining his vintage Raleigh, I decided to start a gallery. If you would like to share a photo of your cat with your bike, please send it to the address at the bottom of this post. I will keep expanding the gallery.



One of my own two kitties, photographed during a moody moment through the spokes of my Pashley Princess.



My other kitty, looking longingly at the Co-Habitant's Pashley Roadster.



This gray kitty belongs to reader J.E.P., photographed with his newly acquired 1979 Raleigh Sprite.



Trisha's new kitten Wally, on her Peugeot mixte. From Let's Go Ride a Bike.



Dottie's beautiful kitty sniffing her Rivendell Betty Foy. From Let's Go Ride a Bike.



The white kitty in this spectacular shot belongs to KT of Velo Vogue. This is one of my all-time favourite bicycle photos, and notice the Motobecane mixte!



Shelly's kitty Lazlo, from Riding Pretty!



C_C_Rider's Guest Kitty, from Ride your Bike. No doubt the guest was attracted by the Surly in the background.





Submitted by coldfeet via bikeforums: "I know he hates riding in cars, must try him out in the cat box strapped to the rack." (Um... yes, let me know how that goes!)



The intriguing Smudgie belongs to Maschka at bikeforums. He is performing the same acrobatic maneuver with two different bicycles. Maybe it is his bicycle dance?



Machka's Sabre (RIP), photographed with her Maruishi touring bike.



This photo of little Willow was submitted by terraskye from Edmonton, via bikeforums. "My cat loves my bike... Anytime I bring it out of the storage room she has to come over and take a look.. This time she was just watching the ice melt in the water bottle."



JanMM's Spooky inspecting his Rans V-rex. Submitted via bikeforums.



This basket-cat belongs to Beth Terry from Fake Plastic Fish.



This feline camper is from the website of David Naylor.



And this sweet kitty is asleep in one of David Hembrow's bicycle baskets.



Submit your bike and cat photos to:

Things That Will Make My MIL Say.....

"oh my!" Because at times, people do leave the tube and go into the water. Here is Austin and Lauren hanging on for dear life:

They're looking good:

Uh oh...there might be trouble:

and Lauren is airborne:

Josh is really upset that his sister flew into the water:

Austin and I ran into trouble too. He body slammed me, then flew into the water where he got the wind knocked out of him. You can see his feet behind the tube here:

I'm still in the tube here:

Really, Mom, we are all fine. Once I saw Austin was ok, this was my reaction to riding in the tube vertically:

I think I'm going to be very sore tomorrow! Living the life in sunny Virginia!

Goldfinches

I wonder if the goldfinches are as tired of the rain as I am.

Two male American goldfinches (Carduelis tristis), enjoying thistle seeds. Please excuse the state of the feeder - the wet hulls stick to it.

No, it's not the same kind of thistle that comes up in your yard. It's not really thistle at all, but it used to be called that, before they started calling it Niger. They later changed the spelling to Nyger. (The story I heard involved political correctness and poor spelling skills.) The botanical name is Guizotia abyssinica.

Finches (gold, purple, house, what have you) love these seeds. Pine siskins do too. Don't put them in a regular feeder - you'll need a special one (with smaller holes). We love Droll Yankee feeders. They last a lot longer.

Provincetown Cycle Yum

I have received a couple of messages asking to recommend "cyclist-friendly" places to eat in Provincetown. This is a tricky one - First, because everyone's taste in this sort of thing is different. And second, because there is really no divide in Provincetown between regular places and "cyclist-friendly": Most restaurants and cafes have racks either right out front, or else the nearest one is half a block down the street. Having said this, here are some of our favourite places:

Spiritus: This magnificent establishment serves pizza, coffee and ice-cream, offers free wireless internet, has cozy indoor seating and an outside garden, and is open until 2:00am year round. Their pizza is some of the best I have ever had, especially the Greek (spinach, olives and fetta on an ultra-thin wheat crust). Heavenly and a great all-around hangout.

The Squealing Pig: Best raw oysters we have had on the Cape so far, and in a non-touristy atmosphere at that. In addition: a fine selection of unusual beers and local wines on tap, and very fresh, delicious food including fishburgers, and french fries that are "hand cut daily". There are always lots of locals eating at this place, and we like the atmosphere better than the seafood places that cater to tourists, such as The Lobster Pot or Betsey's. If you are looking for a higher-end dining experience though, try the delicate and creative menu at The Mews.

The Purple Feather: Very yummy gelato and the best hot chocolate ever, made to order to your specifications. You will recognise this place by the stuffed bear standing at the door, wearing a blond wig and purple lingerie. This is the best place if you want to get an ice cream or hot chocolate to walk around the streets with. For the best indoor atmosphere though, I prefer the dim coziness of the Art House Cafe.

As mentioned in an earlier post, Provincetown is the most bicycle-friendly town I have experienced in the U.S. The infrastructure accommodates cyclists and plenty of bicycle parking is available if you want to stop and eat in town.